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Medical marijuana legalized in Australia
By Christina Zdanowicz, CNN
Updated 1822 GMT (0222 HKT) February 25, 2016
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Epilepsy – More than 100 families have moved to Colorado to access "Charlotte's Web," a cannabis strain that in some epileptic children seems to dramatically reduce seizures. Taken as an oil, the medicine is high in a chemical called CBD and low in THC, the component that makes people "high."
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Concussion – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is following the work of Israeli researchers who are exploring cannabis as a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury. In 2003, along with two colleagues, Nobel laureate Julius Axelrod, an American, obtained a patent on the drug for its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Alzheimer's disease – In studies of rats, marijuana helps stave off memory problems and Alzheimer's-like brain changes. A leading researcher said the drug's iffy legal status has held up further research.
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Bipolar disorder – A small study at Harvard found that marijuana seems to stabilize the brains of people who suffer from bipolar disorder. Some studies show the drug actually raises the risk of developing mental illness, but those findings are controversial.
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Between its outlaw image, controversial legal status and complex makeup -- the cannabis plant contains more than 400 individual chemicals -- marijuana's action in the brain and body is in many ways a mystery. The vast majority of studies on the drug have examined potential harm, as opposed to potential benefits. Even so, some medical uses are widely accepted and others are the subject of serious research. Here's a look at some potential uses of marijuana as medicine.
Hide Caption
1 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Pain – In the United States, pain is the most common condition for which medical cannabis is taken. Studies show the drug is especially effective against neuropathic pain, a type of pain involving nerve damage. Marijuana is less habit-forming than opiate drugs and carries virtually no risk of a fatal overdose.
Hide Caption
2 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Multiple sclerosis – Sativex, a pharmaceutical version of cannabis, is approved in 25 countries as a treatment for painful muscle spasms arising from multiple sclerosis.
Hide Caption
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Nausea – The munchies are no joke. Marijuana is sometimes prescribed to stop nausea or induce appetite in people who have trouble eating, including patients suffering from AIDS or going through chemotherapy for cancer.
Hide Caption
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Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Epilepsy – More than 100 families have moved to Colorado to access "Charlotte's Web," a cannabis strain that in some epileptic children seems to dramatically reduce seizures. Taken as an oil, the medicine is high in a chemical called CBD and low in THC, the component that makes people "high."
Hide Caption
5 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Concussion – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is following the work of Israeli researchers who are exploring cannabis as a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury. In 2003, along with two colleagues, Nobel laureate Julius Axelrod, an American, obtained a patent on the drug for its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.
Hide Caption
6 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Alzheimer's disease – In studies of rats, marijuana helps stave off memory problems and Alzheimer's-like brain changes. A leading researcher said the drug's iffy legal status has held up further research.
Hide Caption
7 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Bipolar disorder – A small study at Harvard found that marijuana seems to stabilize the brains of people who suffer from bipolar disorder. Some studies show the drug actually raises the risk of developing mental illness, but those findings are controversial.
Hide Caption
8 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Between its outlaw image, controversial legal status and complex makeup -- the cannabis plant contains more than 400 individual chemicals -- marijuana's action in the brain and body is in many ways a mystery. The vast majority of studies on the drug have examined potential harm, as opposed to potential benefits. Even so, some medical uses are widely accepted and others are the subject of serious research. Here's a look at some potential uses of marijuana as medicine.
Hide Caption
1 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Pain – In the United States, pain is the most common condition for which medical cannabis is taken. Studies show the drug is especially effective against neuropathic pain, a type of pain involving nerve damage. Marijuana is less habit-forming than opiate drugs and carries virtually no risk of a fatal overdose.
Hide Caption
2 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Multiple sclerosis – Sativex, a pharmaceutical version of cannabis, is approved in 25 countries as a treatment for painful muscle spasms arising from multiple sclerosis.
Hide Caption
3 of 8
Photos: 7 uses for medical marijuana
Nausea – The munchies are no joke. Marijuana is sometimes prescribed to stop nausea or induce appetite in people who have trouble eating, including patients suffering from AIDS or going through chemotherapy for cancer.
Hide Caption
4 of 8
Story highlightsAustralian Parliament passes a measure to legalize medical marijuana
Lucy Haslam petitioned to legalize medical cannabis after her son used it to treat terminal cancer
Recreational marijuana remains illegal
(CNN)The Australian Parliament passed a measure Wednesday legalizing medical marijuana.
The amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Act will allow cannabis to be legally grown for medical and scientific purposes for the first time in Australia.
"This is an historic day for Australia and the many advocates who have fought long and hard to challenge the stigma around medicinal cannabis products so genuine patients are no longer treated as criminals," Minister for Health Sussan Ley said in a statement.
"This is the missing piece in a patient's treatment journey and will now see seamless access to locally-produced medicinal cannabis products from farm to pharmacy."
The decision came exactly a year after 25-year-old Daniel Haslam lost his life to terminal bowel cancer. Haslam used medical marijuana to ease his pain and nausea before he died last February.
10 diseases where medical marijuana could have impact
His mother, Lucy, started a medical cannabis advocacy group called United in Compassion and petitioned for the government to make it legal.
Australian Sen. Richard Di Natale brought up Haslam's story before Parliament on Wednesday.
"It is incredibly fitting that today we are passing this bill which is one step towards making medicinal cannabis accessible to people like Dan," Di Natale said.
"Thank you to Lucy for everything you have done. Please know that your family's grief, pain and suffering has not been in vain and this is a legacy that Dan will leave here in Parliament."
Other patients in Australia lauded the government for Wednesday's milestone.
Australia resident Narelle Reimers wished she could have used medical marijuana when she was fighting cancer.
"As a cancer survivor I could've used some medicinal marijuana at times to relieve the pain, anxiety, hopelessness feelings, sadness, worry, insomnia, etc," she wrote on Facebook. "Finally some common sense from our government."
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Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It's time for a medical marijuana revolution
While cannabis plants can now be legally grown in Australia, it was unclear when the plants would be ready for use by prescription-carrying patients. Regulations need to be put in place and production licenses would need to be applied for before production can begin, according to United in Compassion.
The health minister reminded people that the changes would not affect recreational marijuana, which remains illegal.
CNN's Zahra Ullah contributed to this story.